


Burning Embers

by i_saw_sparks



Category: Big Time Rush RPF
Genre: Camping, F/M, Romance, Sex, Smut, Summer, forest, roasting marshmallows
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-06-17
Updated: 2013-06-17
Packaged: 2017-12-15 07:00:01
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,635
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/846673
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/i_saw_sparks/pseuds/i_saw_sparks
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Love is a fragile word in the air on the length we lay.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Burning Embers

It was the way that his smile seemed to outshine all of his other features, the dimples burrowing into his cheeks, his brown eyes creasing at the corners, that made her feel like he belonged there.  
  
Kandi’s eyes were fixated on him, only half-listening to him recount some humiliating incident that had happened on the set of his show as she tried to embed every inch of him into her memory. She tried to laugh at the appropriate moments, but truthfully, she wasn’t really paying any attention to his story. His voice was soft and low, with that hint of laughter buried beneath his every word. His tone was so familiar from months filled with late-night phone conversations, but she still hung onto everything he said, watching the way that his lips curved around every syllable, how his deep eyes tilted up towards the stars like a form of punctuation.  
  
It still blew her mind how seamlessly he seemed to fit into her life, and in the beginning, there was that nervousness that gnawed at her as she waited for the inevitable snag. No relationship was perfect, and that entire summer she held her breath, longing for the best but still expecting the worst.  
  
The worst never came. Her friends adored him because he embodied the life of any party, and though her mom wasn’t smitten with the idea of the two of them becoming so serious so quickly, even she had to admit that Logan was good for Kandi. Their only complication was that his career kept him settled in Los Angeles while she had decided to return home to South Carolina and finish out her degree when the summer came to a close. Kandi had to admit that she had her doubts that the whole long-distance thing would work out, but the two of them had managed to stay together for the past two years despite the strain that came with rarely seeing one another. Now all she had to do was finish up her last semester of college, then she would be free to move out west to be with him.  
  
But until that time came, they were forced to make the best of things. Granted the all-too-rare week off from filming and working on the next album, Logan had flown out to spend time with her, but instead of whiling away the first weekend cooped up in her apartment downtown, the two of them drove out to her childhood home in the country.  
  
The camping excursion had been entirely Logan’s idea, always looking to do something completely out of the box, but Kandi had reluctantly agreed to go along with it. If they were going to spend a night in the wilderness, she’d much rather do it in what was essentially her backyard than some random campground. Besides, once Logan got something like that in his head, she knew it would be next to impossible to distract him from it.  
  
Because she’d grown up surrounded by acres of nothing but untamed forest, the whole concept of camping didn’t really appeal to her. Despite going into with that jaded mindset, Kandi had really enjoyed showing Logan the natural playground she’d spent all her days exploring as a child.  
  
They’d spent that entire first day tracing the banks of the creek until they could no longer make out the spot where they’d set up their tent. He had written their names with a crooked tree limb in the stretch of dark sand just in front of where they’d set up camp, the shallow creek water lapping up against the bank, threatening to wash his slanted writing away. The chill of autumn was in the air, but they still kicked off their sneakers and rolled up the hem of their jeans, dipping their toes in the water. The rocks that formed the riverbed were hard but smooth beneath their bare feet, and Kandi found herself clinging to Logan’s shoulder to keep her balance. The cold water washed over her skin and made her shiver, but she couldn’t keep herself from following him, couldn’t bring herself to go back.  
  
The years hadn’t caused her vibrant memories of these woods to fade, and little had changed since she was a little girl. The area had become a little overgrown since she’d last ventured down there, new pine trees blocking out the path that led down the steep hill to the creek, and there was a fenced in pasture of horses on the opposite bank that she’d never seen before, along the border where her family’s property ended. The majestic creatures stared at them as they struggled to catch minnows in their cupped hands, the gray scales shimmering beneath the scant rays of sunlight that made their way through the trees.  
  
A fallen tree trunk formed a makeshift bridge across the creek, and the two of them decided to have their lunch there. Two pairs of fair-skinned legs dangled over the stream below as the couple ate their simple packed lunch of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and sweet tea. It was so peaceful out there, isolated from the rest of the world, and a part of Kandi wished that Logan would never have to leave, that he could stay there with her forever. He was the only person she’d ever wanted to share her world with, but he always felt so far away.  
  
Logan must’ve noticed her listless expression because he grabbed her hand, letting his fingers slip into the spaces between hers. He didn’t say a word, but the reassuring squeeze from his hand told her all that she needed to hear.  
  
After they’d finished their lunch, silence lapsed between them, neither of them wanting to budge from their spot.  
  
“I bet you were a little wild child,” Logan said, his gaze watching the water flow beneath them. The first few hints of a smile tugged at the corners of his lips.  
  
“Eh, not so much,” she replied, a knowing smile softening her features. “I do feel like this was the perfect place to grow though, but then again, things were different back then.” The sound of traffic out on the new highway seemed to tear through her sense of serenity, a constant reminder of how much things had changed since she was a kid. “I mean, we didn’t have to worry about anyone snatching us out of our yards. Plus my family has never had a lot of money, so I didn’t have a ton of video games or anything like that. We just played in the woods all day or rode our scooters up and down the street. We kinda had to invent our own ways to pass the time.”  
  
He nodded, his eyes still focused on the clear water ripple just beneath their toes.  
  
A part of her still felt the teensiest bit uncomfortable sharing her past with him because it did make up so much of who she was today. She felt so exposed, so vulnerable beneath his syrupy gaze, with her face free of makeup and her wavy chestnut hair swept up in a messy bun at the crown of her head. The more she let the walls around her crumble, the more power she gave him to devastate her.  
  
But when his grip tightened around her hand, all of those worries seemed to fade away.  
  
“Come on, let’s get moving,” he suggested, his tone enthusiastic as he teetered back to the bank. “I’d like to see how far we can get before it starts to get dark.”  
  
As they continued to follow every ebb and bend of the tiny creek, Logan was constantly on the lookout for something interesting to take back to California with him. She didn’t want to break his spirit, but Kandi knew for a fact that there was nothing out there worth bringing home. Still, Logan continued his search.  
  
“You know how you always have to bring a shitload of seashells back every time we go to the beach?”  
  
She nodded, shoving her hands deep down inside the pockets of her ripped blue jeans.  
  
“This is sort of like that.” He flashed her a soft smile before he ventured off again, leaves crushing beneath his steps. She could hear his voice call back to her. “I think it’d be really cool if I could find some Indian arrowhead or something like that.”  
  
“Don’t hold your breath.”  
  
Aside from a couple river rocks worn smooth by the stream, they didn’t find any souvenirs for Logan, but they did find a deeper pool of water on their way back to the tent, and to him, this was almost just as good as any old arrowhead.  
  
“The water’s gonna be freezing,” she warned. Kandi was all too aware of how miserable she’d felt when she was younger, hiking back up the hill to her house after a mid-October swim, her clothes damp and clinging to her frame, but at the same time, she couldn’t tell him no because she was guilty of doing the exact same thing only years before.  
  
“I don’t care,” he laughed as he yanked his t-shirt over his head, tossing it to the ground below before wriggling out of his jeans. “Maybe you should join me? I’ve never known you to turn down skinny dipping.”  
  
“Ha ha ha,” she fired back, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear. “Thanks but no thanks. If it was June, then yeah, but it’s too cold for that nonsense.”  
  
“Suit yourself,” he said with a shrug as he stepped out from his pants.  
  
Logan flashed her a thumbs up as he stood on the overlook, his toes curling around the edge of the rock as his stare gauged how deep the water was. Pulling his knees to his chest, he hit the surface of the water with a splash and a yelp. It was adorable, watching him blink the water from his eyes, a hand reaching up to push damp strands of espresso brown hair from his forehead before his arms came to cross against his chest, his muscles shivering beneath stretches of fair skin.  
  
The water barely lapped at his waist, but nevertheless, he was quick to wade his way out. “Fuck!”  
  
She shook her head as she took a hold of his hand, helping him back up onto the bank. “I hate to say ‘I told you so…’”  
  
Once they made their way back to the tent, Logan slipped back into his dry clothes and went to work building a bonfire from the array of fallen branches and dead leaves all around them.  
  
As the sun began to set, the temperature dropped, and the two of them found themselves huddled around the fire, roasting marshmallows for dinner.  
  
Her gaze flickered back towards him as she watched him snatch a marshmallow from the bag on the ground between them. After spearing the puffy treat with his stick, he flashed her a smug look, his lips pursing in a smirk as he plunged the marshmallow into the flames.  
  
“That ruins them, you know,” she piped up, laughing to herself as she watched him stare intently into the bonfire.  
  
The branch twirled in his palm until he was satisfied with the result, yanking the charred black marshmallow from the flames. His breaths were heavy and frantic as he quickly blew at the marshmallow, trying to get it to cool off.  
  
“I’m beginning to think you only do that because you know it annoys me.”  
  
His fingers tugged at the gooey mess on the end of the stick, desperate to recover the melted center. “This is the only way they’re any good.”  
  
She scoffed. “How is _that_ any good? All you can taste is the burn.”  
  
Logan’s tongue skimmed his lower lip, his full lips smacking obnoxiously to prove his point.  
  
“Let me show you how it’s done.”  
  
Refusing to be outdone, Kandi reached for her own marshmallow, letting it hover gently above the flames until it was the perfect shade of toasted brown. With a couple quick blows, the marshmallow was cool, and she removed it from the stick with ease, popping the white puff into her mouth. “See? _So_ much better than your burnt mess.”  
  
His coffee-colored eyes narrowed at her as his hand reached for yet another marshmallow, determined more than ever to change her mind. The branch delved into the heart of the fire, and Logan held it there until he decided it was ready, pulling it from the flames. Remnants of the bonfire still clung to the torched marshmallow, and a grin spread across Logan’s lips as he whipped the branch back and forth, waiting for the tiny flames to burn out.  
  
“Oh, this is gonna be a good one,” he claimed, offering her the newly roasted snack. “That’s when they’re the best, when they catch fire.”  
  
Kandi rolled her honey brown eyes at him. “If I eat that right now, it’s gonna scorch my tongue.”  
  
He pursed his lips but pulled his stick back, huffing and puffing on the marshmallow until he was certain it was cool before he handed it back to her.  
  
She held his gaze as she took a bite, but she couldn’t mask her expression, her nose wrinkling as the bitter taste of smoke coated her tongue. Whatever hint of sugary sweet that she could detect was washed out by the charred flavor of the fire.  
  
“Gross.”  
  
He shook his head to himself. “You’re crazy.”  
  
“If I’m crazy, you must have some fucked up taste buds,” she shot back, still giggling to herself as she roasted another marshmallow in the fire. “Try this one.”  
  
His eyes darted back and forth as he let the sugar melt on his tongue, glancing back to her as he swallowed. “Not bad, but it just tastes like a regular marshmallow. I don’t see why you even bother roasting it.”  
  
She offered him the slight shrug of her shoulders. “Guess we’ll just have to agree to disagree then.”  
  
Kandi’s lips pressed against his cheeks before she let her head rest against his shoulder, her gaze fixated on the flickering flames in front of them. An arm wove around her shoulder, pulling her close as he hummed in her ear. His lips brushed against her hair before she felt the pressure of his head leaning against hers.  
  
Leaves rustled in the distance, the sound of crickets chirping as the wind raked through the trees, and the tune that Logan continued to hum was beginning to become recognizable as the lyrics fell mumbled from his lips.  
  
“Stay, stay, stay. I’ve been loving you for quite some time, time, time.”  
  
She was quick to pick up where he’d left off. “You think that it’s funny when I’m mad, mad, mad.”  
  
“Damn, why did you have to listen to that CD the entire drive back from the airport? That shit’s stuck in my head now,” he laughed, giving her loose bun a playful tug.  
  
They sat in comfortable silence until Kandi felt him tremble suddenly beside her.  
  
“It’s getting chilly,” he admitted. “Are you ready to take things back to the tent?” His voice was weighed down by suggestion, and she couldn’t help but laugh at the cheesy way he wriggled his dark eyebrows.  
  
“Oh you make it so hard to resist,” she teased him, giving his shoulder a shove before darting off towards the tent.  
  
While Logan was preoccupied with putting out the fire, Kandi stripped down to her underwear, tossing her dirty clothes aside before she settled into the sleeping bag. As she heard his steps grow closer, she reached over to turn on the lantern they’d brought along, flooding the small space with a warm and cozy glow.  
  
Once he crawled inside, he zipped the tent closed behind him and mirrored her previous motions, shedding his uncomfortable clothes before curling up with her in the sleeping bag.  
  
“You’re so warm,” he murmured, wrapping his arms around her frame and pulling her closer against his chest.  
  
This time, it was Kandi who became aware of the drop in temperature, chills shooting down her spine as she shivered in his arms.  
  
“What is it?” Logan asked, his breath hot against the back of her shoulder.  
  
“Nothing, I’m just freezing,” she mumbled, trying to play it off, but his grip tightened instinctively around her body.  
  
“I bet I can warm you up,” he said with a chuckle. “Just like in that _Twilight_ movie you made me go see with you.”  
  
Kandi couldn’t help but laugh. “Trust me, you’re no Taylor Lautner.”  
  
“Pssht, that kid has nothing on me,” he replied, pressing his lips against her shoulder blade. “They should’ve cast us in that movie. We’d put that lame sex scene to shame.”  
  
Kandi was trying so hard to bite back the laughter that threatened to spill past her lips, her skin growing hot as the blood rushed to the surface of her cheeks. “You’re ridiculous. It’s not like you could break a bed anyway.”  
  
She could hear the challenge register in his tone. “I could if I wanted to.”  
  
“Don’t worry about it,” she said, tilting her head back to steal a quick kiss. “You’re cute just the way you are.”  
  
He gave her shoulders a quick squeeze. “Thanks, I appreciate that.”  
  
A sigh forced its way past her lips as she shifted her weight. Truthfully, Kandi was too uncomfortable in Logan’s grip to be able to fall asleep, but the cold was too unbearable for her to pull away from him. Instead, she subtly arched her back into him, her finger lightly tracing the veins along the back of his hand. When she glanced back at him, Kandi found that she didn’t really need to say the words. They were on the same wavelength.  
  
His lips blended into hers effortlessly while his hand retained a firm hold on her pelvis. As her lips brushed against his, the tip of his tongue slowly washed along the seam of her lips, silently urging them to part. She obliged, returning the kiss with an even greater pressure, countering each of his movements with her own until her neck grew sore from the angle. With her back turned to him, she let her eyes flutter close, relishing the sensation of his touch as it explored her body.  
  
She could feel his fingertips tiptoe lightly up her stomach, his hand curving around her breast, caressing the supple flesh through her blush-toned bra. Her teeth sunk into her lower lip, gnawing at the skin as she arched her back towards him, feeling him stiffen from her touch. His lips curved around the delicate skin along the crook of her neck, dragging at the skin softly as his touch trailed down her side. His hand rested along the curve of her hip for a moment before his fingers dipped beneath the lacy trim of her underwear, stroking tender skin along the v of her pelvis before tracing it downward. He teased her for a moment, allowing his touch to hover just above her skin before darting back up, his fingers hooking into the waist of her thong, edging it down so the lace and silk slowly grazed her skin. She was able to push them the rest of the way down her legs, her toes pushing the fabric into the end of the sleeping bag.  
  
Logan’s fingers curved against her, slowly stroking from the front to the back before backtracking over the trail once. With one of his hands keeping a firm grasp on her pelvis, his free hand struggled to tug his boxers down over his hips, eventually getting the cotton gathered down around his ankles so that he was able to kick them off with no problem.  
  
Soft, achy sounds forced their way past her lips once she felt him ease between her legs, massaging the tip of his cock against her clit as she struggled to slow her breathing. Her breath caught in her throat as soon as she felt him inside of her, her hips instinctively bucking back against him as they tried to establish a rhythm between them. His hips wavered against her in slow, shallow thrusts, and though it wasn’t what she was accustomed to, she found herself intoxicated by every single lingering movement and the slow drag of his fingers across her skin.  
  
Kandi shifted cautiously, turning to face him. A part of her needed to gauge his reaction, to watch the way his expression evolved as he got closer and closer to the edge. His mouth hung open, his pupils blown wide with lust, and she took the opportunity to kiss him as she anchored her leg on his hipbone. Her fingers threaded through tufts of espresso brown hair dampened by sweat as the tip of her tongue ran across the roof of his mouth. Despite his heavy breathing, his arms continued to hold her close, so close that she could felt every inch of his bare skin against her own. Instead of feeling suffocated or imprisoned by his grip, it somehow made her feel more secure and comforted.  
  
His thrusts were growing shakier, a certain desperation in his forcefulness, and Kandi knew he was about to reach his peak. As his fingertips dug into her back, her hips collided with his, her lips still clinging to his as they tried to continue the kiss, even though their lungs were begging for air. Logan forced out one final thrust before every muscle in his body became unhinged, his grip around her collapsing as his head sunk into his pillow. His lips brushed against her forehead as she nestled her face into his chest, content to lie there forever with him in their own little world.


End file.
